Method and system for sealing products in a pneumatic tube carrier

ABSTRACT

A pneumatic tube system, including at least one system control module for controlling delivery of a pneumatic carrier through pneumatic tubing. The system includes at least one pneumatic tube station having a sealer, the sealer includes a heating pad and a sealing strip, where the sealer automatically grips the open end within the heating pad and the sealing strip upon insertion of the bag into the system. In one example, the sealer creates a vacuum to extract air from an interior space of the bag. The sealer applies heat to the open end to seal the bag. The system includes at least one pneumatic tube station configured for sending at least one carrier, the at least one sending pneumatic tube station being in signal communication with the at least one system control module, where the at least one carrier is sent through the system by pneumatic tubing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/252,176, filedOct. 3, 2011, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/462,167, filed Jul. 29, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,029,212, the entirecontents of the entire chain of applications hereby being incorporatedby reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of packaging systems, and morespecifically, to a system and method for sealing a bag in a pneumatictube material delivery system in order to secure its contents duringtransport in a pneumatic tube delivery system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In large institutional settings such as hospitals, the dispensing anddelivery of drugs has become a time consuming process. In particular,sterile items, controlled medications, biological samples, and the likeneed to be prepared and transported in a secure environment whileensuring the safety of patients and hospital workers.

Transporting objects via pneumatic tubes is known to the art. Pneumaticdelivery systems are used extensively for the rapid and efficienttransportation of a wide variety of articles. These delivery systems areused in a number of business operations, including, but not limited to,banks, hospitals, office buildings, industrial plants, andtransportation terminals for transporting a carrier containing objectsfrom one location to another.

To send an object via a pneumatic tube, an object is placed within acarrier, which is then transported within enclosed pneumatic tubing byair under either positive or negative pressure to a desired destination.The interior of the closed tube and the outer dimension of the carrierform a seal so that the carrier can be propelled between thedestinations by a vacuum or positive air pressure. These Pneumaticdelivery systems typically comprise a number of substantiallyhermetically sealed tubes extending between locations in a building anda mechanism for selectively evacuating air from, or forcing air into,the tubes. In use, objects are placed in a carrier vessel, typically asubstantially cylindrical housing, which is placed into the pneumatictube transport system. The vessel is then propelled through the tube bycreating a zone of relatively higher pressure on one side of the carriervessel than on the other. This may be accomplished by creating a zone ofnegative pressure (e.g., a vacuum) in front of the vessel or by creatinga zone of positive pressure behind the vessel.

One specific area of commerce, which currently uses the pneumatic tubefor transporting materials, is the hospital or biomedicalresearch/manufacturing industry. Pneumatic tube delivery systems haveproven to be particularly useful for transporting blood samples,medicines, intravenous bags, viral samples or other biological orchemical matter within hospitals or laboratories. Some of the itemstransported may be highly addictive drugs (i.e. morphine) which need tobe tightly controlled, or hazardous fluids or solids that need to betransported in a secure package to prevent spillage of the hazardousitems during delivery.

In certain settings, the objects include containers housing fluids thatneed to be transported using the pneumatic tube transport system. Forexample, in the health care setting pneumatic tube transport systems arewell adapted for transporting fluids such as laboratory samples, bloodsamples or other body fluids, or intravenous bags between areas of thebuilding. However, when using pneumatic tube transport systems in thehealth care field, it is critical that the carrier vessels be suitablefor transporting fluids. More particularly, it is necessary that thecarrier vessels, upon closure, seal to provide substantially leak-proofcontainment of fluids, which may unwantedly spill from their primarycontainers into the vessel. Fluids, which spill from their primarycontainers inside the vessel, may leak from the vessel into thepneumatic tube posing a health risk and resulting in a risk that thepneumatic tubes may not properly function due to the presence of fluidin the system.

Current packaging systems utilize zip-lock bags, fold-over-type bags,wrapped in papers, newspapers, or placed in foam-lines pneumaticcarriers to transport these items in such pneumatic tube systems.Moreover, urine-sample containers are placed in zip-lock bags andtransported unprotected in these pneumatic carriers. As such, spillagesare frequently seen contaminating products, carriers, and the systems,which carry these samples requiring costly clean-ups and down time inthese pneumatic tube systems.

Thus, there is clearly a need for a system and method for safely andsecurely sealing material and transporting in a pneumatic tube carrierdelivery system to protect users from spillage during transport of thematerial within the pneumatic tube carrier delivery system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to overcome the drawbacks of previousinventions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and usefulpackaging system contained in a pneumatic tube station.

Another object of the system is to provide a novel and usefulheat-sealed packaging that protects specimens, pharmaceuticals duringdelivery.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of safely sealingspecimens and pharmaceuticals in order to protect the contents fromjarring as they travel through a pneumatic tube system.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of safely sealingproducts in order to prevent cross-contamination of products.

In a first non-limiting aspect of the invention, a system for sealing acarrier package is provided and includes a carrier package having aninterior space, where the carrier package includes an open edge and athree sealed edges; and a sealer for receiving an open end of thecarrier package, where the sealer seals to carrier package in responseto a user inserting the carrier package into the sealer.

In a second non-limiting aspect of the invention, a pneumatic tubesystem is provided for the storage, retrieval and distribution ofpneumatic tube carriers to and from a plurality of location within apneumatic tube system, including a device for sealing a bag, where thebag includes an interior space, an open end and three closed ends. Thedevice includes a sealer for receiving an open end of the bag, whichextracts air from the interior space in response to a user inserting thecarrier package into the sealer to form a sealed carrier package. Thepneumatic tube system also includes at least one computer having adatabase capable of receiving and transmitting information within thepneumatic tube system; at least one empty pneumatic tube carrier forreceiving the sealed bag, with the carrier being generally cylindricaland disposed about a longitudinal axis; separate carrier storage anddistribution means for storing and distributing the empty pneumatic tubecarriers on demand; and at least one control means for coordinating thestoring and distributing of the empty pneumatic carriers to and fromactive stations within the pneumatic tube system; where the carrierstorage and distribution means is connected to the pneumatic tube systemvia the distribution means. The empty carriers are distributed to one ofthe empty carrier storage device and the receiving stations within thepneumatic tube system in response to the information; and where thedistribution means distributes the empty carriers within the pneumatictube system.

In a fourth non-limiting embodiment, a pneumatic tube system if providedand includes at least one system control module comprising at least onedatabase module; and at least one computer control center module insignal communication with said database module. The pneumatic tubesystem includes at least one pneumatic tube station having a sealer, thesealer having a heating pad and a sealing strip, where the sealerautomatically grips the open end within the heating pad and the sealingstrip upon insertion of the bag into the system. The sealer creates avacuum to extract air from an interior space of the bag, and where thesealer applies heat to the open end to seal the open end. The pneumatictube station is configured for sending at least one carrier, the atleast one sending pneumatic tube station being in signal communicationwith the at least one system control module, wherein the at least onecarrier is sent through the system by pneumatic tubing. The at least onesystem control module captures tracking information associated withsending and receiving the at least one carrier, and where the at leastone computer control center module is configured to receive the deliveryinformation from the at least one pneumatic tube station. The at leastone database module is configured to store delivery information from thecomputer control center module, and the at least one computer controlcenter module is configured to interpret delivery information and sendcommands to the system to control routing of the at least one carrier inthe pneumatic tubing.

In a fifth non-limiting aspect of the invention, a method of sealing acarrier bag is provided and includes providing an article-containingcarrier bag, where the carrier bag has an open end and oppositeplurality of closed ends; inserting the open end into a slot located ina sealing apparatus; gripping the carrier bag in the sealing apparatus;applying heat and pressure to the open end for a predetermined time toseal the carrier bag.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the invention can be obtained by reference toa preferred embodiment set forth in the illustrations of theaccompanying drawings. Although the illustrated embodiment is merelyexemplary of systems and methods for carrying out the invention, boththe organization and method of operation of the invention, in general,together with further objectives and advantages thereof, may be moreeasily understood by reference to the drawings and the followingdescription. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of thisinvention, which is set forth with particularity in the claims asappended or as subsequently amended, but merely to clarify and exemplifythe invention.

For a more complete understanding of the present principles, referenceis now made to the following figures:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an automatic pneumatic tube systemaccording to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a pneumatic tube station incorporatingthe sealer system according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a pneumatic tube station incorporatingthe sealer system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is an exposed front perspective view of the sealer system shownin FIG. 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is an exposed top perspective view of the sealer system shown inFIG. 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is another exposed front perspective view of the sealer systemshown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart depicting the method of sealing a carrier bagutilizing the sealer system according to a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The invention may be understood more readily by reference to thefollowing detailed description of preferred principles of the invention.However, techniques, systems and operating structures in accordance withthe preferred principles may be embodied in a wide variety of forms andmodes, some of which may be quite different from those in the disclosedembodiment. Consequently, the specific structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are merely representative, yet in that regard, they aredeemed to afford the best embodiment for purposes of disclosure and toprovide a basis for the claims herein, which define the scope of theinvention. It must be noted that, as used in the specification and theappended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include pluralreferents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Some elementsof the present principles are illustrated as modules for performingdescribed functions. While these modules may be described in terms ofsoftware implementations, any hardware, or combination of hardware andsoftware may be used to implement the present principles withoutdeviating from the scope or spirit thereof. Moreover, well known methodsand procedures for both carrying out the objectives of the presentprinciples and illustrating the preferred embodiment are incorporatedherein but have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarilyobscure novel aspects of the present principles.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a diagram illustrating apneumatic tube system 100 according to an embodiment of the invention.The pneumatic tube system 100 utilizes, in one non-limiting embodiment,a plurality of pneumatic tube stations 105, 110 for sending andreceiving a pneumatic carrier 155. The pneumatic tube stations 105, 110are substantially the same and include a sealer system 165 for sealingthe contents in a sealer bag. The pneumatic tube stations 105, 110 arein communication with each other through pneumatic tube 115 and a systemcontrol module 120 for initiating and sending of pneumatic carriers 155.FIG. 1 illustrates a one zone pneumatic tube system 100, although inother non-limiting embodiments, any number of pneumatic tube stations,such as pneumatic tube station 105 may be incorporated into pneumatictube system 100 without deviating from the scope of the invention. Thepneumatic tube system 100 also includes blower 130 and one or morediverters 135, 140 which direct the transportation of pneumatic carrier155 from storage compartment 145 to pneumatic tube stations 105, 110. Itshould be appreciated that pneumatic tube stations 105, 110 may beutilized as either sending station or receiving station at the directionof the system control module 120.

Pneumatic tube system 100 may include a plurality of inline identifyingtag readers or optical sensors 150 configured to track or sense the IDtags on the pneumatic carrier 155 as it is transported through pneumatictube 115. The inline identifying tag readers or optical sensors 150 maybe implemented, for example, through a window or a section of thepneumatic tube 115, through an RFID antenna (not shown) disposed on arecess section of the pneumatic tube 115, through an optical sensordisposed in the pneumatic tube 115, or similar. The inline identifyingtag readers or optical sensors 150, read, or otherwise sense, thepassage of a pneumatic carrier 155 associated with an object beingtransported through the pneumatic tube system 100.

In one embodiment of the invention, the ID tags may be used to recordthe location and identify a pneumatic carrier 155 as it traversesthrough pneumatic tube 115. The information obtained is provided to thesystem control module 120 in order to keep a log of each pneumaticcarrier's 155 location as it move through the pneumatic tube system 100.This creates an auditable trail indicating a chain of custody, allowingthe user to know where the pneumatic carrier 155 and its contents havebeen and where they are going.

Also, system control module 120 may include database module 126 insignal communication with computer control module 122 (hereinafter “CCCmodule”). The system control module 120 receives carrier informationfrom the tag readers at the pneumatic tube stations 105, 110 and logsthe carrier 155 information into a database module 126. Additionally,the system control module 120 may receive carrier 155 locationinformation from inline identifying tag readers or optical sensors 150disposed throughout the pneumatic tube system 100 and log thisinformation into a database module 126.

The database module 126 may be, for example, a relational database, aflat file database, fixed length record database, or any other datastorage mechanism known or as yet undiscovered in the art. Further, thedatabase module 126 may reside on a stand-alone server, or the samemachine as the CCC module 122.

The CCC module 122 performs the function of a data manager and managesdata by interpreting data stored in the database module 126 and sendingrouting commands to the pneumatic tube system 100 based on location dataand delivery information collected from sending users. In onenon-limiting embodiment, the CCC module 122 performs the functions of adata manager, while in another embodiment, there may be a separatemodule to serve as the data manager in order to interpret the datastored in the database module 126 and send routing commands to the CCCmodule 122 which then sends commands to the pneumatic tube system 100based on location data and delivery information.

The pneumatic tube stations 105, 110, diverters 135 and 140, blower 130,and carrier receiving bin 145 are all in signal communication with, andcontrolled by, the CCC module 122. The CCC module 122 interprets thedata in the database module 126 and generates commands in the form ofsignals to individual elements in the pneumatic tube system 100 tocontrol the actions of the system 100. For example, the CCC module 122may command the pneumatic tube system to activate the blower 130 totransport a carrier 155 through the pneumatic tube system 100. Inresponse to data stored in the database module 126, the CCC module 122may generate a signal to turn on blower 130, which blows air to move thecarrier 155 throughout the pneumatic tube system 100. Similarly, thediverters 135 and 140 may be signaled by the CCC module 122 to route acarrier 155 to a particular branch in the pneumatic tube 115 to bedelivered to a desired pneumatic tube station 105, 110.

The system control module 120 may also be configured to managedeliveries. The system control module 120 receives requests for deliveryfrom, in one example, pneumatic tube station 110. The data input by auser at a sending station, for example, pneumatic tube station 105identifying the ID tag is used to determine the physical location androuting of a carrier 155. Additionally, the system control module 120uses the information from the sending pneumatic tube station 105 todetermine how the carrier 155 should be delivered (i.e. secured, withalarms, etc.).

System control module 120 may also track a carrier 155 as it moves pastinline identifying tag readers or sensors 150 in the pneumatic tube 115.The system control module 120 may generate records to show that acarrier 155 passed an inline identifying tag reader or sensor 150 at acertain time. These records may be used to ensure that a carrier 155 isrouted correctly and in the correct order. Location recordation may alsobe used to troubleshoot and initiate error notifications, such as astuck or lost carrier, or may be used to guarantee or verify a timelydelivery for perishable contents (e.g., drugs or blood contents thatmust be refrigerated). Additionally, reports on chain of custody ofcarriers may be generated to keep record of who has a specific carrierat a specific point in time and where that carrier is located.

The system control module 120 may also control and verify delivery toreceiving users at receiving pneumatic tube station 110. In order toinitialize a shipment, the sending user enters information into thesending pneumatic tube station 105 that will be used to manage carrier155 routing and delivery through the pneumatic tube system 100. Thesending user prepares the contents of the carrier 155 for shipment. Thecontents of the 155 may be, for example, prescriptions, blood samples,patient file information, and the like.

After the sending user prepares the contents of the carrier 155 forshipping from the sending pneumatic tube station 105, the sending usermay, in some non-limiting examples, scan the ID tag, scan the sendinguser ID, the ID of the desired receiving pneumatic tube station 110through a handheld PDA (not shown).

In another useful embodiment, a more passive system may be used for thescanning of the delivery information. The identifier tags may be RFIDtags, which can be read by an RFID identifying tag reader. In such anembodiment, the sending user at the sending pneumatic tube station 105may move near the RFID identifying tag reader while holding the carrier155 and its contents, and the reader will read and send the IDinformation from the sender, the carrier 155, and the contents insidethe carrier 155 to the system control module 120. Thus, sending usersmay advantageously avoid physically scanning each identifier tag toobtain delivery information.

The scanned information from a handheld PDA is transmitted to the systemcontrol module 120 where it is stored in the database module 126 andinterpreted by the CCC module 122. The CCC module 122 then determinesthe destination of a particular carrier 155, and the necessary commandto route the carrier 155 properly. The CCC module 122 sends routingcommands to the pneumatic tube system 100 to control the operations ofthe system.

Blower 130 and diverters 135 and 140 may be used to coordinate anddirect the transportation of the carrier 155 throughout the pneumatictube system 100 and between the storage compartment 145 and thepneumatic tube system 100. Carrier 155 moves through branches of thepneumatic tube 115 in the system under vacuum or pressure supplied byblower 130. The CCC module 122 sends a signal to the blower 130 to blowair to transport the carrier 155 at the appropriate time. As the carrier155 moves through the system, the CCC module 122 controls the carriers'155 routing by transmitting commands to diverters 135 and 140 which maychange the position and/or direction of the carrier 155. In analternative embodiment, a vacuum system may be used in place of a blower130 to move carrier 155 through the pneumatic tube system 100 withnegative air pressure.

In one embodiment, after the CCC module 122 routes the carrier 155through the pneumatic tube 115 via the diverters 135 and 140, thecarrier 155 travels to the receiving pneumatic tube station 110. At thispneumatic tube station 110, the carrier 155 is opened and the contentsof the carrier 155 are extracted. The ID of the empty carrier 155 maythen be scanned with a handheld PDA to keep record of which of theplurality of carriers are available from the storage compartment 145 forother shipments.

In an alternative embodiment, a slide plate 160 may be disposed in thepneumatic tube 115 at a location, in one non-limiting example, prior tothe pneumatic tube station 110, although, in other non-limitingembodiments, slide plate 160 may be disposed at any location in thepneumatic tube system 100. The slide plate 160 may be used as a securitymeasure, holding the carrier 155 from being delivered to pneumatic tubestation 110 until the authorized receiving user scans their user ID. Thesending user may be given the option by the handheld PDA prior tosending the carrier 155 from, in one example, a sending pneumatic tubestation 105 of requiring the receiving user to scan the receiving userID before retrieving the contents. If the sending user requires thereceiving user to scan the receiving user ID, the CCC module 122 willengage the slide plate 160 and hold the carrier 155 in the tube 115above until the receiving user scans the receiving user ID. If thesending user does not require this security option, the carrier 155 willbe allowed to move through slide plate 160 and into the pneumatic tubestation 110.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a pneumatic tube station, suchas pneumatic tube station 105 including a sealer system 165 according toan embodiment of the invention. The sealer system 165 is utilized forsealing the contents of a carrier bag 345 (shown in FIG. 3) as thecarrier bag 345 is transported inside pneumatic carrier 155 frompneumatic tube station 105 through pneumatic tube system 100. In onenon-limiting embodiment, the sealer system 165 includes a vacuum forevacuating the contents of the carrier bag 345 (shown in FIG. 3) priorto sealing the carrier bag 345.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a pneumatic tube station 300including a sealer system 165 (shown in FIGS. 1-2) according to anembodiment of the invention. The pneumatic tube station 300 is utilizedin a pneumatic tube system 100) to transport a pneumatic carrier 155between a plurality of pneumatic tube stations, such as pneumatic tubestation 300. With the touch of a button, the pneumatic tube system 100quickly and safely transports, in some non-limiting examples,pharmaceuticals, lab specimens, blood products and medical suppliesbetween emergency rooms, labs, nurses' stations, operating rooms andpharmacies between a plurality of substantially similar pneumatic tubestations, such as pneumatic tube station 300.

The pneumatic tube station 300 includes a compact housing 310 containingholder 340 connected to a pneumatic tube 115 that is utilized fortransporting and delivering a pneumatic carrier 155 to and from thepneumatic tube station 300. The pneumatic tube station 300 includes auser interface 325 having a control panel 330 that is utilized by a userto program heating times and heating temperatures for the sealer system165. The user interface 325 includes a display 335 for providingreal-time information based on programmed inputs entered by the user. Inother non-limiting embodiments, the display 335 may include atouch-screen to receive inputs directly from a user touching the display335. The user interface 325 is utilized to program, for example,destination information for sending a pneumatic carrier 155, priorityinformation for pneumatic carrier 155, and security information (e.g., apersonal identification number (PIN) for a user of pneumatic tubestation 300. The holder 340 is configured such that a system user mayplace a pneumatic carrier 155 on the holder 340 and enter destinationinformation through the control panel 330. Once all the appropriateinformation has been entered, the user will move the pneumatic carrier155 into a pneumatic tube 115 for transport to a selected destination byplacing the pneumatic carrier 155 onto the holder 340. The pneumatictube station 300 is in signal communication with, and controlled by, theCCC module 122 (shown in FIG. 1). The CCC module 122 interprets the datain the database module 126 (FIG. 1) and generates commands in the formof signals to individual elements in the pneumatic tube system 100 tocontrol the actions of the system 100. For example, the CCC module 122may command the pneumatic tube system to activate the blower 130(FIG. 1) to transport a pneumatic carrier 155 through the pneumatic tubesystem 100.

Further, sealer system 165 is provided to be utilized with aheat-sealing bag 345. The sealer system 165 effectively and securelyseals, in one non-limiting embodiment, specimens and pharmaceuticalsinside the sealing bag 345 thereby protecting the specimens andpharmaceuticals from jarring or spilling during transportation of thesealing bag 345 in the pneumatic carrier 155 as the pneumatic carrier155 travels from the pneumatic tube station 300 to a remote destination.In one embodiment, the sealer system 165 is provided with a vacuum toevacuate air from the sealing bag 345, although in other non-limitingembodiments, sealer system 345 may not include such a vacuum. Thesealing bag 345 is inserted into slot 350 to trigger a switch and causesealer system 165 to apply first a vacuum to extract air from the bagand, second, heat to seal the open edge to securely protect the contentsinside the sealing bag 345. As previously mentioned, the sealer system345 that does not include a vacuum only applies heat to seal the openedge to securely protect the contents inside the sealing bag 345. Theheating and cooling times required may be presented to the user throughdisplay 335 for selection at the beginning of the sealing process or itmay be pre-programmed into sealer system 165. The display 335 providesan on-screen program that allows a user of pneumatic tube station 300 toselect heating times and heating temperatures for the sealing bag 345 tobe sealed. The display 335 displays various time and temperatureparameters, and the user may select the appropriate illustratedparameters based on a particular composition of sealing bag 345 that isused. The user may elect to activate, manually, the sealer system 165.During sealing, the display 335 may display the status such as “heating”with a countdown of time remaining It should be appreciated thatpneumatic tube station 300 including the sealer system 165 may beprovided to be installed in a wall, secured to a counter, or attached toa pedestal. It should also be appreciated that sealer system 165 may beprovided as a stand-alone device so as to be used concurrently with anypneumatic tube station configuration.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-6, there is shown a sealer system 165 accordingto an embodiment of the present principles. As shown, the sealer system165 includes a power transformer 400 electrically coupled to a pluralityof time delay relays 405 and 410. Relay 405 is a relay switch where thevariation of current in relay 405 controls the time that heat is appliedto the heating rod 465 while relay 410 is a relay switch where thevariation of current in the relay 410 controls the cooling time for theheating rod 465. The heating rod 465 cooperates with sealing strip 415to grip a top surface and a bottom surface respectively of sealing bag345 as sealing bag 345 resides in cavity 470 after which heat is appliedthrough heating rod 465 which correspondingly heats sealing strip 415 toseal the top surface to the bottom surface. The time delay relays 405and 410 are connected to relay sockets 420 and are further electricallyconnected to a vacuum compressor 425 for applying a vacuum to a sealingbag 345 thereby reducing the volume in sealing bag 345. Vacuumcompressor 425 may any commercially available compressor that canextract, in one example, 0.28 cubic feet per minute of air at 10 Inchesof mercury. In other non-limiting embodiments, sealer system 165 doesnot utilize vacuum compressor 425 to apply a vacuum to the sealing bag345.

Also shown, sealer system 165 includes solenoid valve 430 coupled tocompressor 425 and also coupled to a plurality of carbon steel pistonrods 435 and 440. Solenoid valve 430 is utilized by the sealer system165 to raise and lower the sealing strip 415 by controlling the flow ofair to the piston rods 435 and 440 supplied from compressor 425. Thesealer system 165 also includes a 10 Ampere fuse 445 (i.e., anovercurrent protection device), toggle switch 450, bypass switch 455,and coin switch 460 (i.e., a single pole-double-throw switch) tofacilitate the operation of the various electrical components in thesealer system 165.

In operation, and as shown in FIGS. 3-6, the sealer system 165 includesa heating rod 465 and sealing strip 415 for receiving sealing bag 345.The sealing bag 345 comprises of two layers of plastic material, thebottom layer and a top layer, both of which are attached to each otheron three sides and having an fourth open end. Sealer system 165 raisesthe sealing strip 415 when a sealing bag 345 is inserted into slot 350causing the bottom layer of the sealing bag 345 to engage sealing strip415 while the top layer engages the heating rod 465. The sealing strip415 is raised by raising the piston rods 435 and 440, which arecontrolled by compressor 425. The sealing bag 345 is securely held inplace between heating rod 465 and sealing strip 415 and cannot beremoved until the end of the heat-sealing process. The plastic of thetop and bottom layers have a similar melting point. After the sealingbag 345 is pressed between the heating rod 464 and sealing strip 415, inone non-limiting example, vacuum is applied to evacuate the contents ofthe sealing bag 345. Next, heat is applied to the heating rod 465, whichmelts the top and bottom layers of the sealing bag 345 bonding the toplayer to the bottom layer forming a high-quality seal. Once the seal isformed, the sealer system 165 drops the sealing strip 415 by loweringthe piston rods 435 and 440, thereby releasing the sealing bag 345. Itshould be appreciated that the width of the sealing bag may not exceedthe width of the sealing strip 415, but in other non-limitingembodiments, any width may be utilized. The sealer system 165 receivesthe sealing bag 345 and seals the contents of the sealing bag 345effectively, providing immediate and positive proof of sealing. Thesealer system 165 produces a leak tight, sealed pouch, which cannot beremoved from the sealer system 165 until the sealing process iscomplete. This time is typically set at 5 seconds, although any othertime may be programmed into sealer system 165, in order to effectivelyseal the contents of the sealing bag 345.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the method for utilizing sealer system 165for sealing contents in a sealing bag 345 is shown. As shown, the methodstarts in step 700 and proceeds to step 702, whereby a sealing bag 345having contents to be sealed is provided. The sealing bag 345 may be anycommercial grade bag that has an open edge and three sealed edges. Thecontents to be sealed, for example blood samples, are inserted into thesealing bag 345 and in step 704, the open edge is inserted into slot350. The sealing bag 345 activates a coin switch 460 (shown in FIGS.4-6) which causes compressor 425 to raise piston rods 435 and 440,thereby grasping sealing bag 345. If a vacuum assembly is provided withsealer system 165, then the process moves to step 706, where acompressor 425 applies a vacuum to the open edge of sealing bag 345 toevacuate the contents of air from the internal cavity of the sealing bag345 for a predetermined amount of time before proceeding to step 708.Next in step 708, the relay 405 electrically activates the heating strip415 to provide heat to the top and bottom surfaces of the sealing bag345. Applying heat to the sealing bag 345 seals the open edge therebyencapsulating the contents of the sealing bag 345. Next, in step 710,the compressor 425 shuts off the vacuum to the piston rods 435 and 440thereby releasing the piston rods 435 and 440. The method ends in step712.

It should be understood that this invention is not limited to thedisclosed features and other similar method and system may be utilizedwithout departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. Whilethe invention has been described with reference to the preferredembodiment and alternative embodiments, which embodiments have been setforth in considerable detail for the purposes of making a completedisclosure of the invention, such embodiments are merely exemplary andare not intended to be limiting or represent an exhaustive enumerationof all aspects of the invention. The scope of the invention, therefore,shall be defined solely by the following claims. Further, it will beapparent to those of skill in the art that numerous changes may be madein such details without departing from the spirit and the principles ofthe invention. It should be appreciated that the invention is capable ofbeing embodied in other forms without departing from its essentialcharacteristics.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for packaging and transportingcontents in a sealed bag through pneumatic tubing, comprising: providinga bag having contents to be sealed, wherein said bag comprising an openend and a plurality of closed ends; receiving said open end in a slotlocated in a sealing apparatus; gripping said open end in said sealingapparatus; applying heat to said open end for sealing said bag;receiving said bag in a carrier adapted to be transported throughpneumatic tubing; receiving delivery information by a computer modulethrough a pneumatic tube station for routing said carrier from saidpneumatic tube station to a destination, wherein said computer module isin signal communication with said pneumatic tube station; receiving saidcarrier in said pneumatic tube station; and routing said carrier fromsaid pneumatic tube station to a destination using said deliveryinformation.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said sealing apparatuscomprises a heating pad and a sealing strip, wherein said open end isheld between said heating pad and said sealing strip upon insertion ofsaid bag into said slot.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein said sealingapparatus applies heat to said bag through said heating pad.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising applying a vacuum force to saidopen end to evacuate air from said bag.
 5. The method of claim 4,wherein said sealing apparatus comprises a relay switch programmed forcontrolling said vacuum applied to said bag.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein said sealing apparatus comprises a relay switch programmed forcontrolling said heat applied to said bag.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein said sealing apparatus is preprogrammed to apply heat to saidbag for a predetermined time.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein saidsealing apparatus is preprogrammed to cool said bag for a predeterminedtime.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein said sealing apparatus includesa compressor for creating a vacuum.
 10. The method of claim 1, whereinsaid sealing apparatus comprises a switch configured to be automaticallyactivated upon insertion of said bag into said slot.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein said pneumatic tube station comprises a user controlmodule configured for allowing a user to input said deliveryinformation.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein said user controlmodule is configured for allowing a user to select a heating temperaturefrom a plurality of heating temperatures, wherein the sealing apparatusapplies heat to said bag based on the selected heating temperature. 13.The method of claim 11, wherein said user control module is selectedfrom a group consisting of a graphic display, a touch-screen, a controlpanel, and combinations thereof.
 14. A method for packaging andtransporting contents in a sealed bag through pneumatic tubing, saidmethod comprising: providing a bag having contents to be sealed, whereinsaid bag comprising an open end and a plurality of closed ends;receiving said open end in a slot located in a sealing apparatus,wherein said sealing apparatus comprising a heating member and a sealingstrip; gripping said open end in said sealing apparatus between saidheating member and said sealing strip; applying heat to said open endfor a first predetermined time for sealing said bag; removing said heatfor a second predetermined time for cooling the heated seal subsequentto sealing; releasing said open end of said bag from said sealingapparatus at the end of the second predetermined time; receiving saidbag in a carrier adapted to be transported through pneumatic tubing; androuting said carrier from a pneumatic tube station to a destination,wherein the pneumatic tube station comprises a user control moduleconfigured for allowing a user to select the first predetermined timefrom a plurality of heating times.
 15. The method of claim 14, whereinsaid sealing apparatus comprises a relay switch programmed forcontrolling said heat applied to said bag.
 16. The method of claim 14,wherein the bag cannot be removed from the sealing apparatus until theend of the second predetermined time.
 17. The method of claim 14,wherein the pneumatic tube station comprises a user control moduleconfigured for allowing a user to select the second predetermined timefrom a plurality of cooling times.
 18. A method for packaging andtransporting contents in a sealed bag through pneumatic tubing,comprising: providing a bag having contents to be sealed, wherein saidbag comprising an open end and a plurality of closed ends; receivingsaid open end in a slot located in a sealing apparatus; applying heat tosaid open end for sealing said bag; receiving said bag in a carrieradapted to be transported through pneumatic tubing; receiving deliveryinformation at a user control module of a pneumatic tube station;transmitting said delivery information from said user control module toa computer module for routing said carrier from said pneumatic tubestation to a destination, wherein said computer module is in signalcommunication with said pneumatic tube station; receiving said carrierin said pneumatic tube station; and routing said carrier from saidpneumatic tube station to a destination.
 19. The method of claim 18,wherein said user control module is selected from a group consisting ofa graphic display, a touch-screen, a control panel, and combinationsthereof.